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Louis Brand
In The Case of the Sabotaged Parachute, Louis Brand was the head of an international gun-running gang which also included operatives such as Raoul Dubroc and Leroux. Brand, described as dark, of medium build and height and with a small black moustache, aged between thirty and forty, was known to Scotland Yard as the owner of a night club in Soho. According to Inspector Gaskin, Brand always seemed to have a lot of money but the police could never discover the source of his wealth, nor could they ever pin anything illegal on him. Brand's nationality was not known but one of his gang members, Leroux, later asserted that he was a German paratrooper during the Second World War. Certainly, parachutes featured heavily in the modus operandi of his gang which dealt not only with gun-running but drug smuggling and illegal foreign currency movements. Brand had a residence, Dawfield Manor, in Hampshire and travelled regularly between there and France, transporting contraband using an Aubert Cigale-Major. Because he feared an accident might leave a foreign aircraft stranded in Britain, he frequently parachuted into Dawfield Manor instead of having the aircraft land. His gang members were also expected to do the same. Brand's downfall came when one of his gang members, Raoul Dubroc was arrested by the French police. Dubroc offered to reveal the name of the leader of his gun-running gang and for this, he had been given some liberties but had taken the opportunity to escape. He made contact with the other members of his gang, who decided to fly him out to Britain, ostensibly to get him away but in reality to keep him quiet. Accordingly, Dubroc was scheduled to fly to Britain with Brand and Leroux. According to Leroux, Dubroc knew Brand would be carrying a sum, the proceeds of an arms deal, to Britain. He thus cut Brand's parachute cords in order to kill him and take his money. In Brand's version of the events, Leroux, in handing out the parachutes, got them mixed up and Dubroc ended up getting the tampered parachute. Leroux disputed this, claiming that Brand had seen Dubroc cutting the cords and deliberately switched them. In any event, Brand told Leroux, the pilot, to simulate an aircraft emergency during the flight and yell to Dubroc to jump, which he did, falling to his death somewhere over the New Forest. Biggles first encountered Brand in the New Forest in the area where Dubroc's parachute had been found by Len Betts. Biggles and Gaskin had been sweeping the area for more clues with an Alsatian dog when it found a scent and ending up cornering Brand. Brand did not explain at that time what he was doing there but Biggles later surmised that he must have been looking for the incriminating parachute or Dubroc's body (which the police later found). Unable to continue with some many others around, Brand left the scene in a Jaguar which Gaskin later managed to trace to Brand's residence in Hawfield Manor. Biggles and Gaskin visited Hawfield Manor that same night and found the Aubert Cigale-Major in an out-building. In the garage, they found the Jaguar, with Dubroc's parachute harness and identiy card inside. Brand and Leroux were found inside the house and were both arrested, Realising that the evidence was stacked against them, they both confessed. Because both Brand and Leroux attested that it was Dubroc who cut the parachute cords, the charge of murder against Brand was dropped. However enough evidence was found in the house to convict him of other crimes, including illegal trafficking in arms, drugs and foreign currency, and improperly using an aircraft for the purpose. Brand was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Category:People Category:Biggles characters Category:Air Police era characters